Pictured is Flashes number #22 carrying the ball as he looks ahead to fellow Flashes for a clear route for him to advance. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Pictured above are Flashes JV players taking down a Cardinal during Friday night’s game. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Above are the Fillmore and Santa Paula High School Marching Bands performing during last Friday’s halftime show, a longtime tradition for both schools to come together and perform. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Above are the Cardinals and Flashes JV and Varsity Cheer Squads during their halftime performance. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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On Friday, November 1st, Fillmore Flashes and Santa Paula Cardinals met for the 114th rivalry game, a longtime tradition of the two towns. Fillmore’s JV defeated the Cardinals 24-7; Varsity fought hard but lost to Santa Paula 7-31, ending the 2024 season for the Flashes. Until next year Santa Paula! Info courtesy https://www.maxpreps.com/ca/fillmore/fillmore-flashes/football/schedule/.

Pictured is Melanie Flores a first-year runner for Lady Flashes Cross Country team. She has trained and improved throughout the season. Her team will battle for the 1st place title in the Citrus Coast League on Thursday, November 7th. Photo credit Kim Tafoya.
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Freshman Erick Taver
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Written By Epi Torres

On October 25th, the Flashes Cross Country teams traveled to Walnut, California to compete in the 76th running of the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational. This is the biggest cross country meet in the Nation and is run over a challenging new 3 mile hilly course. This course is also the venue for Southern Section Division Prelims and Finals.
Fillmore’s first athlete to compete was Erick Traver. Erick ran as the lone freshman on the team and placed 29th in 20:38.
The second race for the Flashes also saw one Fillmore competitor. Sophomore Alexander Nunez place 71st in 21:31.
The Junior Varsity girls were led by Marbella Arroyo Tapia. She placed 18th in 26:10. She was followed by Natalie Perez 24th in 27:31, Michelle Setty 28th in 28:23, and Jannet Vega 34th in 28:55.

Vincent Alonzo led 3 Fillmore athletes in the junior varsity boys race. Vincent placed 60th in 22:22. He was followed by Alexander Diaz 91st in 23:46, and Gabriel Lagunas 93rd in 23:58.

In the girls varsity race, Diana Santa Rosa was the top runner for Fillmore. She finished in 48th place in 23:03. She was followed by Jacqueline Olivares 67th in 24:16, Melanie Flores 69th in 24:18, and Janessa Corona 78th in 24:44.
In the varsity boys division, Fillmore ran two athletes. Omar was Fillmore top finisher on the day, placing 8th in 16:59. He was followed by Damian Castaneda 88th in 19:09, Jordan Hernandez 158th in 21:18, Aaron Cordero 171st in 21:55, and Andres Moreno 190th in 24:19. Omar was the only medal winner for the Fillmore teams.

The Flashes Cross Country teams will now prepare for League Finals on Thursday, November 7th at Lake Casitas in Ojai. This meet will start at 2:00 p.m.

Pictured right is Flashes Varsity tackling a Dos Pueblos player in last Friday’s game. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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On Friday, October 24, 2024, Fillmore Flashes varsity football took on Los Pueblos High School. The team played hard but fell short losing 31-19. Overall, the Flashes are 2-7, 1-3 in league. This week the Flashes are ready for longtime rival Santa Paula Cardinals at home for the 114th meeting, on Friday, November 1, 2024. JV begins at 4pm, Varsity at 7pm. Gates open at 3:30pm. Let the Rivalry Continue! GO FLASHES!!

Written By Epi Torres

On Friday, October 25th Moorpark College athlete Angel Garcia and his teammates claimed second place as a team at the Western State Conference Championships. This meet was hosted by Oxnard College. Angel placed 45th, in 22:52.67 over the 4 mile course.

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Westmont at PacWest Championship
On Saturday, October 26th, the Westmont College runner Rey Laureano competed at the PACWEST Cross Country Championships at the Great Park in Irvine. Rey finished in 47th place in 26:10.6. The Westmont squad finished in 4th place in the team competition.

Written By Epi Torres

On Saturday, October 19th, the Fillmore Cross Country teams competed in the Ventura County Cross Country Championship at Lake Casitas in Ojai. This meet began at 7:30 a.m., and Fillmore competed in the small school division
The frosh/soph boys began the morning for the Flashes. Alexander Nunez was the first Fillmore finisher placing 79th in 19:54.1. He was followed by Erick Traver 96th in 20:21.40, and Nicholias Cerda 202nd in 24:46.8. Alexander was a medal winner in this race.

They were followed by the varsity girls. Diana Santa Rosa led the group of 3 finishing 48th in 21:37.4. She was followed by Jacqueline Olivares 66th in 22:43.3, and Melanie Flores 77th in 24:05.8.
The varsity boys were led by Omar Heredia who ran well and finished 21st in 16:24.8. He was followed by Damian Castaneda 98th in 18:57. Omar was a medal winner in this race.

The junior varsity girls were the only Fillmore team to run a scoring team. As a team, the girls were 6th. They were led by Marbella Arroyo Tapia 19th in 24:39.3. She was followed by Jannet Vega 28th in 25:26.6, Michelle Setty 31st in 25:54.10, Emily Soltero 36th in 26:19.9, Valerie Rodriguez 56th in 28:51.7, and Megan Robles 69th in 30:44.6. Marbella Arroyo Tapia, Jannet Vega, and Michelle Setty were medal winners.

The junior varsity boys finished the day with 4 athletes competing. They were led by Jordan Hernandez 56th in 20:29.3. He was followed by Vincent Alonzo 68th in 21:29.5, Gabriel Lagunas 81st in 22:36.1, and Alexander Diaz 83rd in 22:39.9.
The next major meet for the Flashes is the venerated Mt. San Antonio College meet. This meet is in its 76th running and will be run on a similar, but altered course. The new course eliminates “Poop Out Hill”, and finishes on the track. The Flashes will run on Friday, October 25th.

Above is Lady Flashes #9 trying to snatch the Hueneme player’s flag during last Tuesday’s game. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Pictured above is Fillmore’s first Girls Flag Football team Seniors who were recognized at their last home game of the season. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola
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On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, the Fillmore Flashes Girl’s Flag Football took on Hueneme High School for their last home game of the 2024 season. They also held their very first Senior night, wishing them the best of luck on their next adventure. The Flashes lost to Hueneme 22 – 6. Their last game was October 16, away at Channel Islands, Final score FHS 0 – 41 Channel Islands High. The Lady Flashes completed their first 2 – 19 on the season overall. Good Luck next Season Lady Flashes. Info Courtesy https://www.maxpreps.com/ca/fillmore/fillmore-flashes/flag-football/girl....

Pictured is FHS Varsity defense making a tackle against Agoura this past Friday night.
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Pictured are Flashes JV players teaming up to stop an Agoura player from advancing downfield during Friday night’s game. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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On Friday, October 18 the Fillmore Flashes Varsity and JV hosted Agoura High School. JV lost with a final score 27 – 13; Varsity lost 35 – 38. Fillmore’s overall record is 2 – 6; 1 – 2 for League. They also celebrated Senior night and recognized three Seniors. This Friday, October 25, FHS will travel to Dos Pueblos High School to play. JV 4pm; Varsity 7pm. The Flashes are scheduled to play long-time rival Santa Paula away this year on Friday, November 1st. Info courtesy https://www.maxpreps.com/ca/fillmore/fillmore-flashes/football/

Written By Epi Torres

Cal State Northridge runner Camilo Torres ran at Highlander Invitational this weekend. Camilo led the Matadors and finished in 16th place in 24:37.5. Teammate Diego Rodriguez finished in 157th in 26:58. In the men’s team competition, Northridge was 8th.
Nataly Vigil, a member of the Cal Lutheran cross country program ran at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational. Nataly placed 49th in 24:45.8. In the team competition, Cal Lutheran women placed 6th.

Pictured is Fillmore Condors Brooklyn Limon from the Bantam Girls Division. She ran the 3k course consisting of 147 runners and placed 17th with a time of 12:38.73. Photo credit Fillmore Condors.
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Courtesy Fillmore Condors

On Sunday, October 13th, The Fillmore Condors teams traveled to Walnut, California to compete at the USATF Free Spirit Invitational at Mt. San Antonio College. The famous Mt. Sac Course is comprised of challenging dirt trails including flat sections, rolling hills and challenging steep hill sections. The names Valley Loop, Switchbacks, Poop Out Hill and Reservoir Hill are part of this rigorous course. We are highlighting the runners who placed in the top 20 this past weekend and who also earned the right to race with our conference team Valley United Striders. On average every race contained a minimum of 122 runners and was full of great competition. Congratulations to all the runners on a great race. We look forward to our final meet at Central Park in Santa Clarita on October 19, 2024. Stay tuned for those results next week.

Pictured above is FHS Varsity #3 looking ahead to find a way past the Hueneme defense to gain some yards for the Flashes. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Pictured above is a Flashes JV player making a catch in the endzone to score for the Flashes in last week’s game. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Last week the Fillmore Flashes JV and Varsity Football teams played at Hueneme High School. JV won, with final score 48–12, Varsity also won 24–17. This week the Flashes will play Friday, October 18 home against Agoura High School, JV 4pm, Varsity 7pm. Overall Flashes Varsity is 2–5 on the season, 1–1 in league. Info courtesy https://www.maxpreps.com/ca/fillmore/fillmore-flashes/football/jv/schedu....

FHS Girls Wrestling tryouts to take place October 28, 2024, and are encouraging you to come tryout. Pictured above is Fillmore High Girls Wrestler Emma Torres vs. Nordhoff at 2024 Citrus Coast League Championships. Photo credit Joseph Rodriguez.
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Courtesy FHS Girls Wrestling Coach Michael Torres

Fillmore High School Girls Wrestling Team tryouts will be October 28th through November 7th after school in the FHS Wrestling Room along Stadium Way. There are 14 different weight classes ranging from 100 lbs. up to 235 lbs. to compete in. All FHS students must complete a physical packet and athletic clearance before they can attend tryouts. No experience is needed.

Students interested can contact Coach Torres in Room 34 or email: michael.torres@fillmoreusd.org for more information. The season will begin on Wed. November 13 with an intra-squad scrimmage meet in the FHS Gym at 5:00pm.

Last week Fillmore Flashes Girls Volleyball played longtime rival Santa Paula Cardinals. Pictured above are both teams smiling together for a group photo after their matches. Photo credit Coach Agustin Tabita.
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Courtesy Coach Megan Gomez

On Thursday, October 3, Fillmore Flashes girls’ volleyball swept longtime rival Santa Paula. Matches are as follows: Frosh Flashes 2 – Santa Paula 0 - scores 25-20; 25-14; JV Flashes 2 – Santa Paula 0 - scores 24-26; 25-21; Varsity Flashes 3 - Santa Paula 2 - scores 15-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-20 & 15-6.

Highlights: Varsity outside Alexys Mesa, senior & co-captain had 12 aces, 13 kills and 2 blocks. Varsity setter Jacqui Ordonez senior and co-captain had 17 aces, 23 assists. Varsity opposite Yaneli Landin sophomore had 3 aces, 2 blocks, 9 kills. Varsity Labero Leila Tabita had 23 digs, 2 assists, 4 aces.

Pictured above and right, Fillmore Flashes Cross Country Team at the start of the Citrus Coast League Meet at College Park in Oxnard on October 1st. Inset, Flashes Boys Varsity Omar Heredia who finished in 4th with a time of 16:14.83. Photos courtesy Coach Anthony Chavez.
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By Epi Torres

On Tuesday, October 1st, the Fillmore Cross Country teams traveled to College Park in Oxnard for the second Citrus Coast League meeting of three, this season. Fillmore teams competed against Citrus Coast League members: Carpinteria, Channel Islands, Hueneme, Malibu, Nordhoff, and Santa Paula. The College Park Course is run over three miles on grass fields, and dirt roads that are relatively flat.

The Junior Varsity boys started our race day at this meet. In Citrus Coast League #1, Fillmore did not field a scoring team. On Tuesday, Jordan Hernandez led the Flashes with his best performance of the season finishing in 6th place in 19:10.27. He was followed by Gabriel Lagunas 36th in 22:05.80, Alexander Diaz 38th in 22:14.88, Nikolias Cerda 42nd in 22: 25..4, and Vincent Alonzo 43rd in 22:32.15. In the team competition, Fillmore Junior Varsity boys finished in 5th place.
The Varsity girls followed in a tough race with Hueneme. Hueneme entered this meet as the first seeded team after winning the initial Citrus Coast Leagues meet. In this race Fillmore’s top finisher Jessica Orozco finished 2nd in personal best time of 19:58.65. She was followed by Diana Santa Rosa 3rd in 20:17.88, Janessa Corona 9th in a personal best time of 21:43.02, Jacqueline Olivares 12th in 22:05.0, Miley Tello 13th in 22:07.70, Melanie Flores 17th in 22:49.0, and Marbella Arroyo Tapia 19th in 23:07.54. The Fillmore Varsity girls captured 1st in the team competition. The Fillmore girls are currently tied with Hueneme for first place in the team competition.

The Varsity Boys were in the next race. After the first meeting, the Varsity boys were looking to improve from their 6th place team finish. Omar Heredia led the Charge by finishing 4th in 16:14.83. He was supported by Damian Castaneda 28th in 18:19.83, Aaron Cordero 35th in 19:08.95, Alexander Nunez 38th in 19:25.22, and Erick Traver 43rd in 22:43.69. In the team competition, Fillmore Varsity boys finished in 6th place.
The final race of the day featured the Junior Varsity girls. They were led by Jannet Vega who finished 2nd in a time of 24:25.22. She was followed by Natalie Perez 4th in 25:13.80, Valerie Rodriguez 14th in 28:51.47, and Megan Robles 18th in 31:17.76. In the team competition, Fillmore Junior Varsity girls finished in 2nd place.
The Fillmore Cross Country teams will next travel to Ojai, where they will compete in the Twilight Meet at Lake Casitas on Wednesday. The start time for this meet is 4:15 PM. Another group of athletes will travel to Fresno and compete in the Clovis Invitational. This meet will be run at Woodward Park over a three-mile course that traverses grass fields, paved roads and rolling hills, with one major climb. Races will commence on Friday, October 11th at 10:45 a.m. for the girls, and 11:55 for the boys.

On Saturday, Fillmore High School former runners and other Fillmore residents competed at Central Park in Santa Clarita at the Masters College Cross Country Invitational.
The men’s collegiate invite was the first race over the challenging 8-kilometer (4.97 miles) course. This course goes over grass, dirt, and pavement.

In this race, Camilo Torres who competes for the Northridge Vaqueros placed 6th in 24:32.50. Teammate Diego Rodriguez finished in 126th in 26:57.0. Another Fillmore alumni, Rey Laureano finished in 85th place in a time of 26:15.0. Rey is a member of the Westmont Warriors cross country team. In the team competition Northridge edged out Westmont with the tie breaker rule. Both teams scored 119 points.

In the women’s invite 6 kilometer (3.73 miles), Former Fillmore standout Nataly Vigil, ran her third race of this season. This was her first 6-kilometer race ever. Running for the Cal Lutheran Knights, she finished in 109th in 24:39.60.
The Moorpark Raiders traveled to Rancho Cucamonga to compete in the Southern California Regional Championship Meet. Running for Moorpark College and currently residing in Fillmore was Logan Torres. He finished in 71st in 23:24.6. In the team competition, Moorpark was 2nd.

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Fillmore’s Martin Arredondo Top Runner at Mammoth Run
On Sunday, Fillmore’s Martin Arredondo took first place and also won his age group division in the Moorpark Mammoth Run. Martin covered the 10 kilometer course in 38:47.7, a personal best time.

On Thursday, September 26, the Lady Flashes brought home some hardware “medals” from the Raider Invite at College Park in Oxnard. Pictured (l-r) are Jannet Vega, Valerie Rodriguez, Marbella Arroyo Tapia, Michelle Setty, Melanie Flores, Emily Soltero, and Megan Robles. Photos credit of Anthony Chavez. See more photos online at www.fillmoregazette.com.
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Pictured above is Fillmore Flashes Boys Varsity player Aaron Cordero during the Raider Invite. Photos credit of Anthony Chavez.
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Michelle Setty and Marbella Arroyo Tapia
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By Coach Epi Torres

On Thursday, September 26th the Fillmore Cross Country teams competed at the Raider Invitational at College Park in Oxnard. The 3-mile course started and finished on the Oxnard College Track. The course is relatively flat and is run over pavement, dirt, grass, and the synthetic track.

The first race for the Flashes was the boys Frosh/Soph division. Sophomore Alex Nunez led the charge in his first race of the season by finishing in 55th place in a time of 20:02.7. Alex was followed by Erick Traver 93rd in 21:13.6, Nikolai Cerda 100th in 21:26. and Jeffrey Enamorado 132nd in 23:29.2. Alex Nunez, Nikolai Cerda, and Jeffrey Enamorado ran season best times.

The Varsity girls followed with Jacqueline Olivares finishing 51st in 22:14.8. She was followed by Miley Tello 59th in 22:37.8, and Janessa Corona 66th in 23:32.4.

Fillmore’s third race of the day featured 4 runners in the boys’ Varsity race. Damian Castaneda was our first runner to cross the line, finishing 62nd in 18:18.7. He was followed by Aaron Cordero 72nd in 18:40.5, Andres Moreno 80th in 19:17.2, and Jordan Hernandez 83rd in 19:32. Jordan ran a season best time.

The Junior Varsity was the only Fillmore squad to field a full team. They were led by Melanie Flores 7th 23:04.5. She was supported by Marbella Arroyo Tapia 9th in 23:26.3, Michelle Setty 10th in 23:34.8, Jannet Vega 15th in 24:17.3, Emily Soltero 16th in 24:32.9, Natalie Perez 24th in 25:11.5, Valerie Rodriguez 37th in 26:54.3, and Megan Robles 52nd in 29:17.2. Melanie, Marbella, Michelle, Jannet, and Emily were medal winners. Jannet Vega, Marbella A. Tapia, Emily Soltero, Valerie Rodriguez, and Megan Robles ran season best times.

The Final race of the day was the Junior Varsity boys. They were led by Vincent Alonzo 36th in 20:00.2. He was followed by Alexander Diaz 61st in 21:37.6, and Gabriel Lagunas 66th in 22:05.8. All three Fillmore athletes ran season best times in this race.

The team will next return to College Park in Oxnard and compete in the second of 3 Citrus Coast League Meets. This meet is on October 1st. This meet will commence at 2:00 p.m.

Pictured above is a group of Flashes taking down a Buena player to keep him from advancing up field. Inset, Flashes JV’s #2, making his way into the end zone, scoring a touchdown for the Flashes. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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On Thursday, September 26, the Flashes JV football held a make-up against Ventura’s Buena High School and defeated the Bulldogs 29 – 7. Flashes Varsity had a bye week this week. Fillmore’s JV will play Thursday, October 3 at 4pm; Varsity will play Friday, October 4, 2024, Varsity 7pm away against San Marcos High.

Pictured above are Raider Juniors #87 & #11 making a tackle against the Ventura Packers last Saturday, September 28. Final score, Raiders 0–Ventura 35. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola. More photos online at www.FillmoreGazette.com.
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Fillmore Raiders Seniors Black took on the Calabasas Rams on Saturday, September 28. Pictured are a group of Raiders putting a stop to the Rams player to keep him from advancing. Final score Raiders 12 – Rams 29. Photo credit Crystal Gurrola.
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Mighty Mite Black (6) vs. Camarillo (14) (loss); Bantam Black (8) vs. Santa Clarita (14) (loss); Bantam Silver (8) vs. Saugus (30) (loss); Seniors Silver (0) vs. Santa Barbara (35) (loss).

On Friday, September 20, 2024, the Flashes Boys & Girls Cross Country Teams traveled to Irvine to compete at the Woodbridge Invitational. Pictured (l-r) is the girls’ team - Janessa Corona, Michelle Setty, Melanie Flores, Jessica Orozco, Miley Tello, Jacqueline Olivares, and Diana Santa Rosa. Photo credit Assistant Coach Anthony Chavez.
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Pictured above is the Fillmore Flashes Boys team which also competed in the Woodbridge Invitational. Pictured (l-r) are Andres Moreno, Aaron Cordero, Omar Heredia, Damian Castaneda, and Erick Traver. Photo credit Assistant Coach Anthony Chavez.
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Written By Epi Torres

On Friday, 9/20, the Varsity Cross Country teams competed at the highly competitive Woodbridge Invitational. This meet is run at the Silver Lake Sports Complex in Irvine under artificial lighting.

The girls team raced at 8:52 pm. They were led by Diana Santa Rosa, she finished in 71st in 19:54.7. Diana was a medal winner in this race. She was followed by Jacqueline Olivares 116th in 21:30.8, Miley Tello 117th in 21:36.3, Janessa Corona 129th in 22:02.5, Melanie Flores 143rd in 22:39.3, and Michelle Setty 154th in 23:10.2. In the team competition, Fillmore was 14th.
The boys followed at 9:40 pm. Top finisher for the Flashes was Omar Heredia who finished in 36th place posting a personal best time of 15:43.9. Omar was a medal winner in this race. He was followed by Damian Castaneda 179th in 17:55.3, Andres Moreno 184th in 17:58.7, Aaron Cordero Murray 196th in 18:14.1, and Erick Traver 231st in 21:20. In the team competition Fillmore finished 31st.

The Fillmore Cross Country teams will next travel to Oxnard on October 1st and compete in the second of 3 Citrus Coast League meets. This meet will be run at College Park on relatively flat course and races will commence at 3:30 p.m.